Providence hospitals remove restrictions on visiting hours

Loudspeaker announcements signalling the end of visiting hours are now a thing of the past at St. Paul’s Hospital and all other Providence Health Care facilities, which are now welcoming visitors 24-7.

Providence’s 16 acute, rehab and long-term care facilities are believed to be the first in B.C. to drop visiting-hour restrictions. Other hospitals and health regions are considering doing likewise.

“We are blazing a trail,” said Shannon Parsons, the nurse who led the change at Providence. “Family visits play a huge role in the comfort level of patients. Visitors can also be helpful to the care team, serving as a second set of eyes and ears.”

The length of each visit will be at the discretion of patients, in collaboration with their health-care providers.

For 12 years I came in here every day with a sense of anticipation. I thought about what's going on today - what's the excitement that's going to happen today? What are the students going to be doing? What's the lab going to be showing?”